1. Tell us a little about your background and why you chose to run for a seat on the Brookfield City Council. How long have you lived in Brookfield? If you weren’t born and raised here, what prompted you to come to Brookfield?

I was born in Brookfield, grew up on a farm north of town and have called Brookfield home all of my life. I am now in my eighteenth year on the Brookfield City Council. I was first elected in 1995 and served as mayor from 2002 to 2007. As the owner of North Central Missouri Graphics, I have been a Main Street businessman in Brookfield since 1983. Currently, I am the only Main Street business owner on the Council; I feel this gives me a unique perspective on issues. I believe that each councilperson brings a different perspective to the table, and that this is important in order to represent the whole community.

2. Please select an issue or challenge you believe the City of Brookfield needs to resolve. Why do you think this issue should take priority? Do you have a suggestion as to how to go about meeting this challenge? If so, what would your suggestion be?

Currently the most pressing need is to address our shortage of raw water supply. Potable water is one of the most important things people need and that starts with the raw water. Everyone is well aware of the issues the ongoing drought has caused. We have two projects either underway or well into the planning stage that will help to alleviate this problem. The first involves improving the performance of the pumping station on the creek and that one is well underway. The second involves the ability to push this water back to the lake in addition to taking it straight to the water plant. That project is in the late planning stages and will be completed this spring. We have an additional project that is in early development that will allow us to greatly increase the amount of water we can pump back to the Lake. It is important that we complete this project because the watershed area for the city lake is relatively small and this will drastically increase the watershed available for our usage.

3. What are your suggestions for promoting economic development in Brookfield? Would you be willing to work with the Brookfield Area Growth Partnership (BAGP) in achieving the initiatives that organization has given priority to? Occasionally, suggestions for economic development come from outside the ranks of the BAGP membership. How would you respond to those suggestions?

The entire country is in challenging times economically and that appears especially true here. Brookfield has a varied and diverse group of employers and it is our first priority to keep them in operation here. It is easier to maintain what you have than to bring in new business. That being said it is also important that we continue looking for new opportunities to bring to town.

Page 2 of 2 - In my years on the Council I have listened to suggestions and ideas for improving our development from a number of different sources including the Economic Development Board and BAGP. It is important that we listen to any ideas, even if they prove unfeasible afterwards.

4. Name one thing you believe the City of Brookfield could do to make Brookfield a better place to live and work.

We have to continue to maintain and improve our infrastructure. It is important that funds stay available to replace parts of our road and water and sewer systems. That means being fiscally responsible with the limited amount of money we have to spend on these issues. It is important that as a Council we demonstrate that we understand the value of our constituent’s tax dollars and use them in the most efficient way. If we do that they will continue supporting our Transportation and Capital Improvements Sales Taxes that are vital to funding these projects.

5. What, in your opinion, is the value of our public spaces, and what can the Brookfield community do to increase their value? How can you assist?

Brookfield has a large number of parks of various types and usage, and they greatly improve the quality of life here. I think it is important that we maintain them and make improvements where we can. There are a number of ideas for improvement of the Twin Parks underway right now and it is important that the City help where it can.